Reno Tahoe Airport Authority reports record passengers, billion-dollar projects and lithium-sulfur gigafactory talks
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Summary
Darren Griffin, Reno Tahoe Airport Authority CEO, briefed commissioners on 2024 passenger growth, a multi-phase capital program (including two new concourses) and continued discussions about a proposed lithium-sulfur battery gigafactory on airport land.
Darren Griffin, president and CEO of the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority, told the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners on March 11 that the airport saw its busiest year in nearly two decades in 2024 and is planning major capital work to expand gates and passenger facilities.
Griffin said passenger traffic reached about 4.8 million ticketed passengers in 2024 after airlines added seats to the market. The authority’s More R&O capital program includes replacing existing concourses, adding roughly 25 gates and building a new police headquarters; the estimated cost for the concourse replacement work is about $650 million. A public–private partnership will build a new ground transportation/rental car center, which the authority said will return about 600 parking spaces to airport operations.
Griffin briefed the board on several projects on airport property: Tolles Development’s Airway Commerce Center (roughly 890,000 square feet) near the runway end, the Reno Air Logistics Park under development by Dermody/Edon, and discussions with a San Jose–based firm (Lighten) about a proposed lithium-sulfur battery manufacturing campus. Griffin characterized discussions with Lighten as expressions of intent; land-lease and development agreements are under negotiation among the airport authority, developers and potential operators.
The authority is also transferring the aircraft-rescue-and-firefighting mission to the City of Reno under an interlocal agreement; Griffin said 24 specially trained ARFF firefighters will transition to the city and additional Reno fire personnel will receive required federal ARFF training through a national academy.
On air service, Griffin said the airport now has 11 airlines and is pursuing route growth and year-round conversion of some seasonal routes (examples included Austin, Houston and nonstop service to Hawaii as a long-term target). He said air service growth and industrial development around Stead drive demand for housing and passenger amenities.
Why it matters: The airport’s expansion projects are large, multi-year efforts with regional economic implications — from construction contracting to travel and tourism — and they intersect with county land-use and transportation planning.
What’s next: The authority continues site development and formal negotiations for the industrial projects; the board and staff said they expect further updates on the interlocal transfer of airport fire services and the airport’s capital program.